Internet / Information technology

*UPDATE: Under Trump now more Americans have high-speed internet access than ever before.

4/4/17: President Trump signed arepealof the Obama-era U.S. broadband internet privacy rules, a victory for internet service providers and a blow to privacy advocates. Supporters of the bill argued that the regulations would have placed unfair restrictions on broadband providers, given that web companies like Facebook and Google also make data-driven ads and did not have to abide by similar restrictions. We are on the fence with this decision by Trump. Yes it now allows broadband companies to NOT get permission from their customers in order to use their “sensitive” data — including browsing history, geolocation and financial and medical information — to create targeted advertisements. On the flip side, why did this regulation only apply to broadband companies and not social media companies like Facebook and Google? A new privacy law should be implemented across the board for all internet based companies.

12/13/17: Donald Trump signed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which contains a provision that could force the federal government to upgrade its out-of-date IT systems. “The Modernizing Government Technology Act is an important step in the journey to a next-gen federal government,” CSRA President and CEO Larry Prior said in a statement. “The MGT gives agencies more resources to modernize, helping to enable moving to the cloud, implementing shared services, and improving their cyber defenses.”

​12/15/17: Trumps pick for FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, announced the repeal of the Net Neutrality law. Net Neutrality is a new law implemeneted under the Obama administration. It is the basic principle that prohibits internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon (as well as small providers) from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites you want to use. It ensured internet service providers treat all data on the Internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication. The problem with this law is that it heavily regulated the free interent provider market. Just another government regulation that slowed the growth of both large and small internet providers. Also the argument is if Google,Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Youtube, etc can control, and even block, content (which they been proven to do) why can't internet service providers? If you don't like your internet service provider go to their competitor. That is how the free market works.

​1/8/18: Keeping one of his many promises to the forgotten man and woman, President Trump signed an executive order to expand broadband in rural areas where it is desperately needed. The Federal Communications Commission estimates 39% of people living in rural regions do not have access to broadband, compared with just 4% of people in cities.

​2/7/18: The U.S. Justice Department announced one of its largest-ever takedowns of a global cyber crime ring saying it had indicted 36 people accused of trafficking in stolen identities and causing more than $530 million in losses to consumers.

5/16/18: President Trump signed an executive order that aims to streamline the processes of acquiring and developing better information technology (IT) infrastructure by strengthening the role of chief information officers at federal agencies.

7/13/18: The Supreme Court ruled that internet retailers can be required by the government to collect sales taxes even in states where they have no physical presence.The decision, in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., was a victory for brick-and-mortar businesses that have long complained they are put at a disadvantage by having to charge sales taxes while many online competitors do not. And it was also a victory for states that have said that they are missing out on tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. The Court had 5–4 majority decision tilted by Trump's newest court justice pick Neil Gorsech.

8/23/18: President Trump has reversed an Obama-era memorandum dictating how and when the U.S. government can deploy cyberweapons against its adversaries, in an effort to loosen restrictions on such operations.

9/6/18: Attorney General Jeff Sessions has scheduled a meeting with state attorneys general in September to discuss a “growing concern” that tech companies may be “intentionally stifling” the free flow of ideas on their platforms.

2/19/20: More Americans have high-speed Internet than ever before even without net neutrality.